I'm wondering what people think of Korea right now. I spent a year at a private school from 2010 to 2011, and am planning on going back overseas with my girlfriend. She has her Canadian teaching certificate and I've been working in a high school for a year as an educational assistant (no teaching degree).

We're debating between China and Korea, both for a single year just to travel... but I wanted to know if people are still as high on Korea as they were in 2010, and what sort of wages you think we could be looking at.

Is the cost of living through the roof now with the economic instability in the world, or are things relatively calm?

Also, my last employer provided me a terrible place to live... Abysmal. I mean, I had issues with it to the point where I stopped sleeping in it. No hot water for a month, the heat stopped working for over a month, etc. Is it possible to negotiate taking the key-money and finding your own place?

Pay (for you) will likely be what you made when you left unless you have contacts to specific jobs that pay more.

Pay for your gf will vary but since she is certified to teach, she gains access to International schools and to better pay.

You can probably find no-housing contracts where the employer will offer a housing allowance. You can then find your own place. Some schools offer key-money provisions.

However, you two are unlikely to work in the same place unless she wants to try working at a Hakwon with you or unless you both get accepted by EPIK AND get placed in the same area. Since you are not married (I did not see you said you were married, if so, sorry) applying as a couple might not work in terms of placement.

Pay (for you) will likely be what you made when you left unless you have contacts to specific jobs that pay more.

Pay for your gf will vary but since she is certified to teach, she gains access to International schools and to better pay.

You can probably find no-housing contracts where the employer will offer a housing allowance. You can then find your own place. Some schools offer key-money provisions.

However, you two are unlikely to work in the same place unless she wants to try working at a Hakwon with you or unless you both get accepted by EPIK AND get placed in the same area. Since you are not married (I did not see you said you were married, if so, sorry) applying as a couple might not work in terms of placement.

All that being said, is it worth it for a year?

It certainly can be.

Can you save as much as before, I do not think so.

Thanks for the reply, Patrick. I really appreciate it.
We were considering going the route of a hagwon, simply because EPIK won't allow unmarried couples together anymore. Sucks, but nothing I can do to change that.